Hi rwb,
Sorry just caught this thread 
dave406 has indeed a good wash method. The brushes for the 'nooks and crannies' are ideal for getting around the exterior tightwork - If you need some of these, let me know as I'm an authorised distributor for a very well know / respected manufacturer of these.
If you are looking at swirl removal, indeed as has been mentioned in this thread, it's 'possible' to remove an element by hand but takes a verrrry long time.
If you have access to a machine polisher, then certainly get a test panel first to hone the practice on before going 'straight to paint' as such.
ok, without a machine polisher :
In all ways, the best method to get the paint in good condition, is thorough decontamination via way of clay and or fallout/tar removers.
Single clay can be used, I'd recommend a 'soft clay' i.e something sold by Bilt Hamber - this is around the £10/12 mark delivered and will last you a couple of years ( you break the block into 4 pieces, using 1 piece at a time ) - Water can be used as lube for this clay but I prefer a very mild ration mix of car shampoo in a spray bottle - something like a 1:10 rate will be fine.
You'll find areas like the lower doors, arches and rear of car that picks up most contaminants as well as flat panels - roof/bonnet etc.
Usually to fully clay a car that has not been clayed before can take 2/3 hours depending on how bad it is. you will also find that by doing this you may notice more defects/marks in the paint - of course this is because your taken the paint back to it's 'bare' condition.
Once you have clayed this will leave the paintwork in a smooth condition.
At this stage you'll have a few options. - If you have not got the time to machine polish, then after you have rinsed and dried the car down, you can use a glaze/polish/filler to 'hide' the swirls - something like Autoglym Super Resin polish can be used for this.
Once you have done this, then add a few layers of decent wax to 'lock down' the work you have done. - Obviously as the paint has not been corrected, then after a while those swirls will start to re-appear - then you can repeat the process (without clay) - although I'd recommend claying at least once a year.
Machine polishing is not hard itself, what needs to be considered is the speeds/pads and compounds. These are the make or break of a good machine polish. Never start with an aggressive combination i.e heavy cutting pad and heavy cutting compound. - It's best to work a light combination and move up if necessary.
Machine Polishing removes swirls with the pad/compound as it generates the heat and cut necessary to remove the microns of damaged clearcoat. - This is why you have to be careful - too heavy a method, too ,much pressure or leaving the pad at a high speed in a single area can cause paint damage commonly known as strikethrough. It's where the clearcoat has been removed leaving the paint layer visible - The repair for this is basically a pro respray.
If you want to learn how to use a machine polisher- there are a few good ways of learning - The 'Junkman' videos are a very good resource i.e heres a part one vid - ( he has a lot of other videos, that will help ) - An Ex Marine and a bit nutty but he explains things in good tutorials - Great guy
object
With regards to my waxes, then they can be bought at many resellers in the UK - However as part of this specific forum and to it's members I'm offering them at a reduced lower price.
For example - 'Fortify' which is a 100ml pot is a winter wax built for durability with very good resistance to road grimes and salts - retails at £24.95 + delivery. I could offer that at £20 delivered to 406oc members. - You can have a look at my different waxes available by checking out:
http://www.propa-protection.com/wax.htm
- Each wax has been fully researched, developed and tested and only feature the highest class ingredients available.
I'll certainly put a 406oc Members only price list together on here soon.
Let me know if any more Q's - Of course glad to help.
Jay
Statistics: Posted by Waxman — Thu Jan 16, 2014 12:29 am